---
title: "Advanced Deploying Theme With GitHub Actions"
description: "Learn how to automate your Ghost theme deployment using GitHub Actions for a streamlined workflow."
url: "https://www.priority.vision/docs/guides/advanced-deploying-theme-with-github-actions"
scope: shared
appliesTo: [Essence, Scope, Thoughts, Feed, Moment, Aspect, OnFlow, Thesis, Format]
lastUpdated: 2026-09-18
---

# Automating Theme Deployment with GitHub Actions

Automate your Ghost theme deployment using GitHub Actions. This guide shows you how to set up a workflow that builds and deploys your theme every time you push changes to your repository.

  ![Successfully deployed theme using GitHub Actions](https://www.priority.vision/images/docs/common/deploy-github-actions.png)

## Why Use GitHub Actions?

-  **Automated deployment:** Deploy your theme with a simple git push.
-  **Consistent builds:** Always build your theme in a clean, repeatable environment.
-  **Version control:** Track every change to your theme code.
-  **Team collaboration:** Make it easier for multiple people to work on your theme.

## Prerequisites

Make sure you have:

1. A GitHub account
2. Your theme code in a GitHub repository
3. Admin access to your Ghost site
4. A Ghost Admin API key

## 1. Prepare Your GitHub Repository

If you don’t already have one:

1. Create a new repository on GitHub.
2. Clone it to your local machine.
3. Copy your theme files into the repo.
4. Commit and push the changes.

## 2. Get a Ghost Admin API Key

1. Log in to Ghost Admin.
2. Go to **Settings → Integrations**.
3. Click **+ Add custom integration**.
4. Name it (e.g., "GitHub Theme Deployment") and click **Create**.
5. Copy the **Admin API Key** and **API URL** for later use.

## 3. Add GitHub Secrets

1. In your GitHub repository, go to **Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions**.
2. Click **New repository secret** and add:
   - `GHOST_ADMIN_API_KEY`: Your Admin API Key
   - `GHOST_ADMIN_API_URL`: Your API URL (e.g., `https://yourblog.com/ghost/api`)

## 4. Create the GitHub Actions Workflow

1. In your repo, create a folder: `.github/workflows`
2. Add a file named `deploy-theme.yml` with this content:

```yaml
name: Deploy Ghost Theme

on:
  workflow_dispatch:  # Allows manual triggering
  push:
    branches:
      - master
      - main

jobs:
  build-and-deploy:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Checkout code
        uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Setup Node.js
        uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: '18'
          cache: 'npm'

      - name: Install dependencies
        run: npm install

      - name: Build theme
        run: npm run build:prod

      - name: Deploy to Ghost
        uses: TryGhost/action-deploy-theme@v1
        with:
          api-url: ${{ secrets.GHOST_ADMIN_API_URL }}
          api-key: ${{ secrets.GHOST_ADMIN_API_KEY }}
```

3. Commit and push this file.

## 5. Using the Workflow

-  Make changes to your theme locally.
-  Commit and push to GitHub.
-  GitHub Actions will automatically:
  - Build your theme
  - Create a zip
  - Deploy it to your Ghost site

Monitor progress in the **Actions** tab on GitHub.

## 6. Customizing the Workflow

**Trigger on new releases only:**

```yaml
on:
  release:
    types: [published]
```

**Trigger only when certain files change:**

```yaml
on:
  push:
    branches:
      - main
    paths:
      - 'assets/**'
      - '*.hbs'
      - 'package.json'
```

## 7. Troubleshooting

-  **API credentials:** Double-check your API key and URL.
-  **Build errors:** See the workflow logs for build issues.
-  **Permissions:** Ensure your GitHub Actions workflow has access to repository secrets.
-  **Theme name:** Make sure the workflow deploys the correct theme zip.

## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.priority.vision/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.